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Masai Ujiri said what he shouldn't have said. He was walking off the stage in Maple Leaf Square and put the microphone back to his mouth one more time. He said: "Bleep Brooklyn."

Only he didn't say bleep.

It has nothing to do with the fact the Raptors were out-manned and out-defended by the Brooklyn Nets in their first playoff game in six years.

What Ujiri thinks, says, or does to get his own crowd going is his business -- but it will in no way impact what is going on with the Nets.

In fact, somewhere the Nets must be a laughing just a little about the "dinosaur" reference on the front cover of Saturday's Toronto Sun and an expletive spoken by the normally soft-spoken GM.

It will be expensive, though, for Ujiri.

Expect the NBA to fine Ujiri handsomely for his apparently inappropriate words.

In the past, commissioner David Stern did not take well to this kind of behaviour.

We'll see how the new commish, Adam Silver, treats Ujiri and the Raptors in this case.

THIS AND THAT

Has the atmosphere ever been better for any event at the Air Canada Centre? The rendition of the national anthem was stirring with crowd singing and it seemed almost Chicago Blackhawks-like ... The United Center in Chicago does the best anthem in all of sports ... I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but how does a multi-million-dollar facility blow a fuse and lose a shot-clock in an NBA playoff game and have the backup system unusable because it's on the same fuse: None of this would have happened on Richard Peddie's watch ... Tim Leiweke is nothing if not about image: The messup at the ACC Saturday must drive an A-personality like him CRAZY ... Beating the Nets is challenge enough for the Raptors. Beating the Nets and the terrible NBA officiating is too much to ask. The NBA has been screwing Toronto since the day the franchise was awarded (see Allen Iverson). Shouldn't this come to an end by now? ... Bet you didn't know that as a kid Greivis Vasquez went to the Paul Pierce Basketball Camp. "I grew up watching this guy," said Vasquez, the Raptors' backup point guard. "You know I went to basketball, Nike camp back in the day. I'm playing against him now and he's still doing it...Next time we have to make it difficult for him ... Did you also know that the Nets' Andrei Kirilenko is planning to open the first Hooters in Russia, which is not why he didn't step on the floor for Game 1 against the Raptors.

HEAR AND THERE

Why I love Jeff O'Neill, Part 7,673: he speaks or tweets without filter. On the Joel Quenneville-Milan Lucic situations, he tweeted, "Grab your nuts -- 25k, pitchfork a guy in the nuts ­-- nuthin." In the end he was only half-right. Lucic was fined $5,000 for his on-ice attempt at a vasectomy without anaesthetic ... Jim Corsi, who has just about ruined sports writing forever, has been let go by the Buffalo Sabres as goalie coach. Apparently, Buffalo didn't have enough possession time ... The good news, Mark Buehrle at 4-0 is the ace of the Blue Jays pitching staff. The bad news, Mark Buerle at 4-0 is the ace of the Blue Jays pitching staff ... The Argonauts will run their training camp at York University but are expected to move their regular-season training facility to Downsview, where Toronto FC now trains. Word around, by the way, is that David Braley has dropped his selling price for the CFL team ... As if they didn't have enough to complain about, imagine what Calgary Flames fans feel knowing they could have had Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar in a deal last year for Jarome Iginla. But general manager of the day, Jay Feaster, was insistent on a first-round draft pick being included in any deal for Iginla. In the end, the Flames may have little to show for Iginla and the Red Wings are flourishing with Nyquist's scoring and Tatar's speed.

SCENE AND HEARD

Blue Jays prospect Aaron Sanchez has made four starts in AA, struck out 18 in 19.2 innings pitched with an earned run average of 2.29. Look for him to make the move to AAA Buffalo soon and then if all goes well, he could be in Toronto by summer ... The only time the Raptors played the Nets before in the NBA playoffs, they were torn apart by Jason Kidd, now coaching the Brooklyn team ... If Sergei Bobrovsky plays his usual game in goal, Columbus beats Pittsburgh in Game 1 of their playoff series ... Great nickame floating around for the baseball analyst on Rogers Sportsnet: The way he's dressing, he's being referred to as Zaun Cherry ... Neither coach Dwane Casey nor point guard Kyle Lowry are signed for next season. Take one or both away from the feel-good Raptors and suddenly you're not feeling so good ... Mike Babcock has coached seven games that really matter from the Olympics until now: The Canadian Olympic team and Red Wings have allowed three goals against in seven games, all wins: In none of those games have his teams allowed more than one goal against ... I could listen to Jack Armstrong say just about anything. I just love the energy ... I can see the Leafs being interested in winger Nick Ritchie, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound former GTHL player with the eighth pick in the June draft.

AND ANOTHER THING

Still no word on whether Randy Carlyle returns as Leafs coach. Even those close to Carlyle don't seem to know. Dave Nonis has hinted he would like to keep Carlyle but Brendan Shanahan's vote counts for more now ... In Carlyle's career, by the way, his teams have won eight playoff rounds. In Barry Trotz's longer career, albeit with a limited Nashville team, his teams have won two playoff series ... There's no front-office clarity in Washington, where the Capitals are expected to fire general manager, George McPhee, but haven't done so yet. If McPhee stays, expect coach Adam Oates to go. But there's a good chance both will be shown the door by owner Ted Leonsis ... He can play on my team: Andrei Markov ... You have to wonder -- and I do -- how much longer Jays manager John Gibbons will put up with pitcher Brandon Morrow. It's clear there's a disconnect between pitcher and manager here. It might be a matter who ends up going first ... Happy birthday to Toller Cranston (65), Slava Fetisov (56), Don Mattingly (53), Gilles Lupien (60), Brandon Belt (25), Bruce Arthur (40), Riall Johnson (36) and Clint Howard (55) ... And hey, whatever became of Alex Radojevic?

THE DRAFT OF ALL DRAFTS

June 21, 2003: Probably the greatest day of Bryan Murray's hockey career.

Less than a year later, he resigned his post as general manager of the Anaheim Ducks to go home and coach the Ottawa Senators.

He doesn't necessarily second-guess himself -- but you can understand why he might look back with a little regret.

"Maybe I should have stayed and watch them grow up," Murray said Saturday morning, half kidding, half not.

He was talking about his first-round draft selections from that famed 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

He was talking about the drafting of Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry with the 19th and 28th choices that year -- one MVP and one maybe, could be MVP this year.

"We knew if Getzlaf played to his potential, we had something special," said Murray on the phone. "We thought we had a high-end player. We just didn't know how high."

The Perry selection was a wise move by Murray. The 28th pick was owned by the Dallas Stars. On the draft floor in Nashville, Murray offered two second-round picks to Doug Armstrong in exchange for the late first-round selection.

Getzlaf finished this NHL season second behind Sidney Crosby in league scoring. Perry finished second in goals scored. As of Saturday, Getzlaf led the playoffs in scoring.

"We knew Perry was a competitive guy," said Murray. "We knew how hard he played. We had no thought he would score like this or be an MVP ... But what a dominant pair they have become."

The most dominant two-some in hockey today: Murray's Senators missed the playoffs this season.

GOTTA LOVE BLUE AND WHITE DISEASE

Brian Burke used to call it Blue and White Disease.

He said it with a certain disdain. He said it because he had experienced it both from the inside and the outside.

There is a certain entitlement to playing for the Maple Leafs that doesn't exist in other NHL markets: There is a certain overvaluing of player, production, performance, significance.

And there it was on display again Saturday night: When you could turn on your television set to Hockey Night in Canada and see guest analyst, Nazem Kadri.

The same Nazem Kadri who is still trying to establish exactly who and what he is as an NHL player.

Maybe he's a kid on the rise. Maybe he's one of those players who will forever frustrate his coaches. Maybe he will come to understand one day what he does and what he doesn't do. We just don't know.

Why was Kadri chosen for HNIC?

A) Because he's a Leaf; B) Because he's well-spoken; C) Because he's a Leaf.

It always goes back to that.

WILL CHAD JOHNSON EVER MAKE IT TO MONTREAL?

Chad (formerly Ochocinco) Johnson has signed with the Montreal Alouettes.

That much we know.

What we don't know: Whether Johnson will be in training camp in Montreal come June. We can't know that. And the Alouettes don't know that.

As recently as last June, Johnson spent a short time in prison in Florida for domestic-violence charges involving his ex-wife. An original 30-day sentence was altered to seven days, and afterwards Johnson said he lost the two things he loved most from his outburst: "His beautiful wife and football."

Now is his chance to play again.

The Als have pencilled him as a starter at receiver on their depth chart. They fully expect him to play: What they don't know at this point is whether immigration will clear him to enter Canada.

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Sarah Wells raced to the finish line at
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smiled widely, grabbed a Canadian flag,
finished her celebratory silver-medal
lap — quite possibly the most memorable
achievement of her athletic life — and
it was then she bent over and threw up.